Effing the ineffable in the cricket world

December 13, 2007

Some Announcement Or Something

India
have announced their squad for the tour of Australia starting later this month,
with Virender Sehwag's recall, after almost a year away from Tests, causing some controversy. Given that a) about
86.3% of the cricket blogosphere, even on a normal day, consists of a bunch of
guys arguing over who should be in the Indian batting lineup, and b) I have
nothing particularly salient or insightful to say on the matter, I'll just
mention something that pissed me off about Ricky Ponting's reaction to the
announcement.

Ponting was asked what he thought of Sehwag's inclusion. He said:

I
didn't think Sehwag would make the final touring party but he's here and he
had some successes against us last time. A terrific 195 or something.

Or something? Come on, Punter. You know it was 195. You were there. You remember it well... you remember that it was in Melbourne, that it was exactly 195, that he got it on the first day, and that he got out caught in the deep trying to hit a six. Everyone knows it. So why the fuck do you have to add that dismissive "or something" to the statement? Like it was just some random lucky innings in Bangladesh that someone mentioned to you in passing a while ago. Come on, you yourself scored a 257 later that same match. You can't tell me that you barely remember that game, or Sehwag's innings -- you know, the same innings that competed with yours for Man of the Match on the most competitive Boxing Day Test in years. Surely you remember, Ricky. Surely.

(The strange thing about it? I remember that 195 vividly, and yet I had completely forgotten about the 257. I only discovered it a few moments ago when I was checking the archives to see who dismissed Sehwag that time. Has Australia been dominating for so long that I'm starting to repress memories of their success like they're Freudian childhood complexes? Has Australia fucked me -- and my psyche -- up that badly? Damn.)